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West Ashley is the key to future development for the City of Charleston. As the Charleston area is projected to reach 1 million inhabitants in the next ten to fifteen years, much of that development and densification is expected to happen in the West Ashley area.

West Ashley’s neighborhoods are bound together by several major commercial corridors. These corridors have evolved over time as the development of West Ashley has moved to the northwest, the socio-economics and demographics of the neighborhoods have changed, and competition from other areas in the region has increased. To help to steer this evolution and plan for the area’s future, it is critical to begin with a detailed understanding of West Ashley’s current commercial make-up. Working from that foundation, the City and West Ashley stakeholders aimed to create an economic development plan that ensures that West Ashley’s commercial corridors remain vital into the future.

In late 2013, the City of Charleston retained Permar Inc as a consultant on the West Ashley Economic Development Strategy. With deep background in market research and analysis, as well as a long history working in the Charleston market, Permar led the analytical portion of this effort. In addition to augmenting Permar’s analysis with mapping and demographic data, the City managed the outreach to and communication with stakeholders and the public throughout the project.